Guitar Lessons in Cresskill, NJ

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Saxophone Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I want my students to enjoy their music lessons, I don't want it to feel like a chore. It can be really fulfilling when I see a student playing or singing something with joy! I pay close attention to what exercises students seem to want to spend the most time on and the ones they get frustrated with. This helps me balance the lesson by breaking things up and putting them in an appropriate order so the student will stay engaged. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

I think being well rounded is important with music and one thing that I've noticed is building on what the student is interested in. Started off with materials builds important fundamentals, but if my student is nodding off to sleep, then I'm not doing my job. I'll begin by setting a goal and seeing what the student is interested in (i.e. what band/song would they like to learn about?) From there, I'll set a realistic goal (Flight of the Bumblebee can't and shouldn't be the first song on guitar that you learn) and we'll learn the techniques, structure, and music theory that exists in a certain song. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice

I have taught music for ten years: two in elementary music, the rest in middle school. I currently conduct individual voice lessons with students interested in auditioning for performing arts high schools, most of whom have been accepted! I also direct my school's Choir and Musical Theatre productions. I have held private voice lessons for children and teens for the past five years, working mainly with classical and musical theatre repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Harmonica Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Recorder Double Bass Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Acoustic Guitar

I will do whatever it takes to teach the student whatever they are willing to learn. If they want to learn a specific genre on an instrument that has never been used for that genre, I will be happy to teach them. For example, I can play trap music on a piano, but I could also play death metal on a piano as well. Trap music doesn't have to be restricted to a computer, and death metal doesn't have to be restricted to just guitar, bass, and drums. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I supplement this work with flash-cards to help with note recognition, sight-singing to aid understanding of how bass and treble complement each other. I also use composition to help students develop ownership of the skills they're acquiring. Nothing says "I know how to do this" like writing your own song. Thompson's First Grade is also the starting point for my 7, 8 and 9 year old students. They enjoy the melodies, and the challenge of combining hands. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Synthesizer Orchestral Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginning piano students, I often get them started with the Faber piano series, then incorporate music theory along with their song requests. For beginning fretted string students (guitar/bass/ukelele), I like to start with the Hal Leonard method book to get started with reading notation, so that we cover more than just tabs and chords. For drum/percussion students, I'll have them start with a combination of Syncopation by Ted Reed and Peter Erksine's Drumset Essentials Volume 1. Read More